A three-dimensional color space from the 13th century

J Opt Soc Am A Opt Image Sci Vis. 2012 Feb 1;29(2):A346-52. doi: 10.1364/JOSAA.29.00A346.

Abstract

We present a new commentary on Robert Grosseteste's De colore, a short treatise that dates from the early 13th century, in which Grosseteste constructs a linguistic combinatorial account of color. In contrast to other commentaries (e.g., Kuehni & Schwarz, Color Ordered: A Survey of Color Order Systems from Antiquity to the Present, 2007, p. 36), we argue that the color space described by Grosseteste is explicitly three-dimensional. We seek the appropriate translation of Grosseteste's key terms, making reference both to Grosseteste's other works and the broader intellectual context of the 13th century, and to modern color spaces.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Color
  • Color Perception
  • History, 15th Century
  • History, 16th Century
  • History, Medieval
  • Humans
  • Literature, Medieval / history*
  • Manuscripts as Topic / history
  • Science / history
  • Terminology as Topic
  • Writing / history*